Hello all. First of all, I apologise, because I am almost sure this will have been discussed at length in the past - but I’ve clicked through as many pages of old threads as I deem reasonable, and I can’t get search to work.
So, I’ve been tempted back to Fallen London after a long time away (it’s amazing what some advent freebies will do for you). And the very first thing that’s happened is that it’s asked me to help with "a tiny bit of record-keeping", and tell it what happened beneath the Silken Chapel.
The thing is, neither of the options it’s giving me are quite right. And I don’t particularly want to rewrite history.
So, can somebody with more understanding of why it’s asking me the question give me some spoiler-free advice on what to choose? These are the options I have, and what actually happened - potentially spoilery for anyone who hasn’t completed the Silken Chapel storyline:
You slew the Spider-Council… or you don’t even remember any more. But it hasn’t troubled you since, so it’s presumably dead.
OR
You escaped and set the Chapel afire. Perhaps it’s dead. Who knows?
AND WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED WAS… I tried a bluff regarding the Correspondence, which turned out to be a terrible idea, and I was instantly sent off to the Silent River without so much as a die-roll.
My guess is that the second option is nearer to the truth. In particular, if it will trigger the Spider-Council to show up again, then that’s compatible with the fact that I didn’t actually kill it.
All of the four traits now have a special "Making Your Name" storyline attached to them. They open access from the starting areas up through the later stages of the game. If you’ve already opened these areas before the Making Your Name revisions, then you will be asked to set your progress in the story to reflect your current status. Or, you can "go back in time" and restart the path at any point. So, in your particular case, the option exists to replay all the grinds or set your progress later. I guess the assumption is that you either won the challenge, or want to replay it.
Each of the new story lines offers new options and opportunities (for example, the possibility of acquiring a dashing scar in the Dangerous storyline), so they might be worth replaying if you don’t mind the grind.
What you did would not allow you to continue, and that storylet would still be available to complete. You’d have to do either other option in order to get Arachnologist, which is what I’m guessing triggers the must storylet you’re referencing.
So, if you have Arachnologist, you must have gone back after recovering and done thing 1 or thing 2.
I think back in the day talking to the spider would end the storyline in that punishing way. Now it definitely doesn’t kill you outright, and you get to pick a different option.
I very definitely did suffer instant death, and was locked out of the storyline forevermore. It was jarring though - not the way things normally work in Fallen London - so I’m not surprised to hear that it’s changed.
In fact, the jarring memory is why I felt bad about "cheating", and either option felt a little bit like "cheating". But then again, if the authors themselves have chosen to re-write the story, perhaps that makes it legitimate to re-write my history within it. Oh, so meta.
…it sounds like Option 2 is the one I’m looking for, but I’ll hold back a little while in case anyone pops up with more specific advice. (Does the tiger still stalk the forums? Those old memories are flooding back.)
If I’m not mistaken, your choice here might not matter too much. If you choose to go back before that decision in the Dangerous Tracker that’s been recently implemented you’ll be able to play through the storyline again.
Having just recently gone through this, I can say that the Silken Chapel will only make you eligible for the duels with the Black Ribbon, and not open any new routes. Is that a spoiler? I don’t know how to do those convenient little boxes.
Killing the spider sets Arachnologist to 4, running away or setting it on fire to 3. Listening to it gives you a big hit to wounds, higher if you fail the test, but won’t necessarily kill you. I’m at a loss to find any difference between having the value at 4 or 3. Both will lead on to a Black ribbon invite. But its an evil spider-monster that lays its eggs in peoples’ eyes -kill it!
Many thanks to everyone, and especially to Charlotte for such a comprehensive explanation of the (updated) back-story. I sympathise with the idea of banishing it from the face of the Neath, but I recall from the time that killing the thing involved a challenge which was (then) way beyond me. So I’m sure now that option 2 is the more honest one.
It’s decided, then! When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled. And that’s always been what happened ;-)
Thank-you. I only copied from the Wikia so full credit should go there. Very happy to have been a help. I admire your honesty but you’ve got to admit this approach does have it merits :) edited by Charlotte_de_Witte on 12/3/2015
All of the Making Your Name stories will contain chances to rewrite history. Hopefully your choices will be more suitable in the others.
And I forget – welcome back!
I think it’s worth mentioning that, according to the wiki, the way the new "Beneath the Silken Chapel" works:
If you reach wounds 8 while you’re there, you (through the only option available with wounds 8) set the place on fire with your last strength, run out through the smoke, and then presumably die due to being back in Wolfstack Docks (i.e. normal London, where menaces work normally, instead of a special location) with wounds 8. This is the same result as if you’d decided to run away, except with extra death, so you still get Arachnologist 3-you’ve-escaped-alive instead of 4-you-killed-it. (Wait, even though you didn’t escape alive?) Perhaps you could assume this is what really happened to your character.
I don’t think the change to the Silken Chapel had much to do with Making Your Name. When I started playing, it had already been changed to record your end result, and not instakill you. Based on the wiki comments, it changed on June 30, and also asked all players who’d already done it the same question you got much later. edited by Cimanyd on 12/3/2015
Cimanyd, you are right - that is pretty much exactly what happened to my character, or at least is credibly a different way of telling the same story. Thank you!
Now, since you’ve all been so helpful, can anyone remind me why I’m trying to get into the Museum of Mistakes? It has something to do with an Impatient Apprentice. I can’t find it on the wiki (perhaps it’s Fate-locked?) and although I tried Google, it looked like if I dug too much, I’d end up reading things which haven’t happened to me yet.
I have only just got a ticket, so I don’t think I’m too far in - but I’ve completely forgotten the back-story.
:edit: From reading this player’s journal, it seems entry to the Museum is at the very beginning of Dadd Wing, so you’ve probably just started that story when you last played.
Something else: [quote=Richard ]Does the tiger still stalk the forums? Those old memories are flooding back.[/quote]
Rarely, I’m afraid. He explained why in this excellent blog post. edited by Rupho Schartenhauer on 12/3/2015
It does appear that this Seeker content aroused some significant emotions, to say nothing of speculation and interactions. Shame to have missed it all. Were there particular Forum threads dedicated to the quest? Or, rather, obsession?
[quote=Rupho Schartenhauer]It would probably be best if you posted your question in the Fate-locked content thread, so someone in the know can PM you.[/quote]Thanks for the pointer - I’ll remember that thread for next time. As it happens though, you’ve given me the answer I was looking for - which is basically "I’m trying to do it because the game told me I ought to". Splendid!
